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Monuments and Memorials of the Great War and Beyond
In the aftermath of the Human-Covenant War, the death toll, both civilian and military, was in such inconceivable numbers that for many it didn't seem real. With the dreadful task of counting the dead, and calculating the losses, the Unified Earth Government and United Nations Space Command began the task of commemorating the dead. Cenotaphs War Memorials Living Memorials Armoured Memorials Signal Corps Memorial Situated in the courtyard of ONI's Nimbus Tower, in the capital of Falaknuma, the Signal Corps Memorial is devoted to the brave men and women of the Signal Corps, and their activities during the war. The statue is three stylised ONI Prowlers, flying in formation, with the inscription at the base; Helljumper Memorial The Helljumper Memorial is located in Kennedy Court, outside the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers Headquarters in Kenosha City. The Memorial consists of a raised marble plinth, with a used Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle mounted on it. The Drop Pod is scorched from insertion, with the door re-affixed, and a piece of graffiti, presumably from the user on the side, stating "feet first!". The drop pod was used during Operation: HIGHLAND WRATH, when soldiers from the 105th Shock Trooper Division performed a near suicidal drop against the Covenant command post leading the battle against the defenders of New Legazpi. While successful, allowing the besieged defenders to counter attack and lift the siege, the ODSTs were wiped out. The Helljumper memorial remembers all those of the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers who gave their lives during the Great War, listing the names of Shock Troopers who died. Above the list of dead, it has the epitath; Spartan Memorials Spartan Memorial 1 spartan memorial 2 spartan memorial 3 (unofficial) Tomb of the Unknown Warrior (Victory Park) During the building of Victory Park, in the western memorial complex, the centre point of it is the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. At war's end, many bodies were preserved for later identification, but with the catastrophic loss of life, and of official records, some bodies were impossible to identify, either by record or DNA. When the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior Complex began construction, one of these bodies was picked by lottery to be interred there, their name, rank, home-world, even their branch, left forgotten. With great care, the body was removed from the UNSC medical facility on Tribute, to be placed in a coffin made of blackened wood, decorated with the UNSC Phoenix, the usual UNSC notation replaced with "A warrior who died in defence of humanity". The coffin was covered in a UNSC flag, and escorted by honour guard of Spartan veterans, to be airlifted to the waiting UNSC Infinity. The Pelican chosen was a D-77 that survived the battle of Earth, and had been specially modified to carry the coffin. It was transported back to Earth, and carried down to Sydney Spaceport, and taken by carriage in absolute silence to Victory Park. In a ceremony attended by UEG heads of state, and UNSC chiefs, as well as 200 Colonial Cross recipients, and a further 1000 attendants, all effected by the War. The body was carried to it's final resting place, and lowered into the waiting grave. With a resounding 21 gun salute, the Unknown Warrior was awarded the Colonial Cross, a Colonial Cross dedicated to all those forgotten or lost on distant battlefields. The body was buried with soil taken from the battlefields of the Great War. The tomb was sealed, and carries an inscription on the white stone. The tomb remains on the western avenue of the directly opposite to the civilian monument. Cole memorial Per Ardua Ad Astra, Invicta Per Ardua Ad Astra is a statue built on Victory Hill, overlooking the capital city of Kessler on Arcturus. At 300 metres tall, it is the tallest statue on Arcturus. Built to resemble Invicta, the personification of humanity, and their unconquerable spirit, the statue is of a woman in a flowing dress, striding forward. In her left hand is a shield, firmly planted into the ground, and in her right hand is a sword, raised upwards, directly into the sky. The actions of the statue represent humanity's march of progress, the shield being their stubborn and stalwart defence of their homes, and the sword being a declaration of defiance against aggressors, and a declaration that their destiny lies in the stars. The statue was chosen after a six month deliberation period, and over 200 entrants, and was built over the next two year period. It was designed by architect Hal Geohagen. At her base is the following inscription: Virtus Repulsae Nescia, Victoria Virtus Repulsae Nescia is positioned two kilometres off shore from Sydney, Australia. During the Battle of Earth, Battlegroup Gryphon engaged superior Covenant air forces in order to buy time for Sydney to be evacuated, and for the city's defences to be mustered. Despite being out matched, they engaged in an aerial battle that resulted in their destruction, but bought time for the battle to be won. The ships crashed in the bay, and were partially salvaged, but left as war graves to remain undisturbed. In the centre of the wreckage, the Virtus Repulsae Nescia was built. The statue is of the goddess Victoria, representing victory, here shown as a winged woman. She holds a shattered two close to her chest, her shield is bent and broken, and her armour cracked and pitted. The epitaph reads; Beneath this is the list of dead who died in that battle. The latin translates as "Courage knows no defeat". Et Phoenix Semper Resurget, Invicta On the heights over the rebuilt New Alexandria, stands Et Phoenix Semper Resurget. Visible during day and night, the statue is Invicta, on her knees. Her cracked sword is sunken into the ground at her feet, and her armour broken and shattered. The position is far from submission or defeat, but of defiance, of rising up to meet a battle, regardless of injury or exhaustion. The statue is illuminated by flames at it's base, keeping it lit even at night in a wreath of flame. The statue's base can be accessed by a tramway and stairs that lead up to the monument. At it's base, it carries an inscription: Invictus, Invicta, Nike, and Athena The largest monument to the war is situated outside of Sydney, in Victory Park, created to celebrate the end of hostilities. Visible from the city, Invictus consists of three figures, Nike, goddess of victory, and Invicta, personification of humanity. In the centre, Invicta stands proudly, one hand on the pommel of her sheathed sword, the other resting on her shield, planted at her feet. To her right is Athena, hand on Invicta's shoulder, pointing the way forward. To her left is Nike, goddess of victory, holding a laurel wreath above the head of Invicta, crowning her to the victor. The Statue stands as the central part of Victory Park, though much of the other memorials there are of a distinctly more sombre nature. The statue is in direct access with the gate at the front of the park, and down the avenue of remembrance. At it's base is an inscription Mars Defiant Erected in the Martian capital of New Harmony, it was erected to celebrate the victory over Covenant aggressors during the Battle for Mars. While the battle was, for a large part, a losing battle, perseverance allowed them to outlast their foes. The statue is of the war god Ares, namesake for Mars, dressed as a Ancient Greek warrior. At his feet is a fallen serpent, coiling around him and itself. His raised spear is piercing the creatures head, a killing blow. The Statue is constructed from red stone, and inscription includes a quote from the poem "The Red Sands" about the colonisation of Mars. Victory Triptych Built to memorialise the start, and end of the Human-Covenant war, it consists of three statues, representing the start and end of hostilities. Invicta, Harvest Placed in the New Utgard Memorial Garden, this statue of Invicta is built from titanium ore recycled from the fallen orbital elevators, and is finished so she glistens in the sun. The statue shows her on the defensive, sword close to her side, shield raised high as if defending from falling arrows. Fallen of Sirona Memorial Situated at the center of Maponos City, in the plaza just outside the Optican Building, the Fallen of Sirona Memorial serves to commemorate the sacrifice of native Sironan servicemen and women who gave their lives in defense of the planet during the Siege of Sirona. The centerpiece of the memorial is a seven-foot-long, four-foot-wide, three-foot-tall platform of marble, upon which rests a life-size bronze sculpture of a fully kitted UNSC Marine laying upon her back, eyes closed, and clutching an incendiary grenade in their hands laying upon their chest. At the foot of the sculpture stood a battlefield cross consisting of an M392 DMR, a UNSC Marine helmet, and a pair of dog tags, all three scorched. A plaque in front of the sculpture clarifies the meaning. Surrounding the central platform, Five concentric ringed walls of granite, a foot thick and eight feet tall, rose from the pavements, split into four quarter-circles by three-foot-wide passageways carved to allow access to the center. Each wall was spaced four feet from the last, and, upon either side, bore the names of those native Sironans known to have died during the Siege of Sirona, some 150,000 engraved into the stone and rendered with a gold coat to allow them to stand out against the dark stone background. The names were arranged alphabetically by last name within and across the columns, starting from the outer wall and working inward.